Pressing pad



J A. HUNTER.

Nov. 5, 1935.

PRESSING PAD Filed NOV. 9, 1955 Patented Nov. 5, 1935 mes sm'rss PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of steel wool or steel filament pressing pads, used in laundry and dry cleaning establishments, by enhancing their immunity against stretching, packing and lumping, by raising their heat transmitting qualities and increasing their stubborn resiliency as termed in the art, and by increasing their durability and efiiciency in service.

With the above and other objects in view as will be brought out as the description proceeds, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and V wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view with parts broken away of a preferred form of pressing pad.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the base layer before being compressed.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the pad, pad cover, and buck to which it is applied.

Fig. 5 is a similar view with a modified form of buck.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modified form of pad.

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view sectional View taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 6,

but showing the base before being compressed.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral 2 designates a base constructed of warp or weft strands or slivers 3 and 4 respectively of steel wool woven together, and the thus fabricated base is then compressed to compact the same. The strands are composed of filaments or shavings of steel wool arranged to extend longitudinally of the strands and the strands are preferably slightly twisted as in the usual construction of slivers. The strands, in one example of woven base, may be substantially in diameter, crossing strands giving a combined thickness of and the fabric so constructed when compacted in a press or otherwise is reduced to a thickness of approximately resulting in a base having the quality known in the art as stubborn or rigid resiliency. Such a base, being pro-compressed will not pack down to any great extent throughout a long life of service, and since the strands as well as virtually all of the filaments thereof extend from side edge to side edge, as well as from end to end of the base, the latter cannot materially stretch or spread in either direction, particularly since the entire pad is bound as will be later described around its entire outer edge. Moreover, none of the strands or filaments of the base can become fugitive to cause lumps to form in the base.

Upon the upper side of the base 2 and substantiaily co-extensive therewith is a topping 5 constructed of loosely felted steel wool filaments or shavings, and this topping is secured at its outer edge by wire over-edge or whip stitching 6 extending entirely around the pad, and preferably by additional over-edge, asbestos fabric binding 7 secured by wire stitching 8 passing through both the base 2 andtopping 5.

In the modification, the base 9 is constructed of filaments, preferably arranged to form strands to or slivers, with or without slight twist, and these strands or slivers are arranged in parallelism to extend from side edge to side edge of the pad and are stitched together by lock stitches l2 forming tie strands disposed on opposite sides of the base in parallelism to each other and extending transversely across the steel wool strands I0 and opposite tie strands being connected together by stitch loops [4 which pass through the base. This base is compacted in a press or otherwise to produce the same characteristic of stubborn or rigid resiliency as characterizes the base 2, the amount of reduction in thickness in a given example being from substantially to in thickness.

Upon this base 9 is applied a steel wool topping i5 as in the previous form, except the fibres are mostly in parallelism instead of being felted, and the topping is secured to the base by similar whip stitching l6, asbestos binding W and stitching I8.

When either of these bases is subjected to preliminary compression, the filament of the strands that lie side by side and even the ones of the strands that cross each other become matted together and thus prevent the strands or filaments from becoming fugitive. It is pointed out that though the filaments are continuous throughout the strands in virtually all cases, there are nevertheless certain interruptions in the continuity of certain strands, and the free ends thereof are forced during compression between adjacent or intersecting filaments forming an interlock therewith. Furthermore, when the strands are compressed, certain filaments become bent or looped and these bends or loops become forced between adjacent or intersect-ing filaments forming an interlock therewith. It is also pointed out that the stitches l2 and I4 bend under the preliminary compression of the base 9 and remain bent to aid in retaining the base in its compacted condition. Likewise intersecting strands 34 and filaments of the base 2 become permanently crimped when said base is compacted, thereby serving to prevent fugitation of such strands and their filaments.

After the topping is applied, its filaments become matted with the non-fugitive base, in both examples, and is thereby prevented from creeping when in service, and the matting between the filaments of the topping and base becomes more marked as the result of service conditions.

The pad may be of any desired shape to suit the shape of the particular buck 20 upon which it is used and confined by the usual canvas cover sheet 2i. Certain bucks are equipped on their upper surfaces with small coil springs 22 upon which the pad is placed. In such cases, the continuous strands and filaments bridge the spaces between the springs and since the base in each example is precompacted and rigidity imparted thereto, the filaments and strands of the base will not materially become pushed down between the springs. In fact, the relatively rigid base will act as a supplementary buck itself when used upon springs and will transfer the desired amount of heat to the goods, which would not be true of a noncompacted base, also where no springs are prescut, and the base is applied directly upon the buck, the compactness of the base increases the heat transmitting properties thereof far beyond the factor of a non-compacted base.

It will thus be observed among other things; that virtually all of the filaments used in the strands of the base are long and extend throughout the lengths of the strands from one to an opposite edge of the pad; that the pre-compacting of the base not only increases the rigidity of the base and its heat transmitting properties, but causes the same to act as a supplemental buck when used upon springs; that the base being precompacted will withstand the pressure of the press throughout a long life of service without losing its stubborn o-r rigid resiliency as referred to in the art and never becoming undesirably stretched; that the topping, beside having all of the desirable qualities of a felted steel wool topping so well known in the art, is held by the base in its original shape and prevented from shifting by its filamentary interlock with the filaments, filaments of the base being arranged substantially in parallelism to each other and extending from one edge to an opposite edge of the base, said base being precompressed to an extent which substantially prevents further compacting thereof throughout a long life of service,

and a topping of felted metal filaments which interlock with the base.

2. A pressing pad, comprising a compact base of metal filaments, filaments of the base being long enough to extend from one to an opposite edge of the base, metallic means crossing said filaments and tending to secure the same together against lateral displacement, said base including the securing means being precompressed to an extent which substantially prevents further compacting thereof throughout a long life of service, and a topping of metal filaments matted with said base.

3. A pressing pad, comprising a base of metallic filaments, a substantial number of which extend from one to an opposite edge of the base tending to prevent spreading of the base in the longitudinal direction of the filaments, means securing the filaments against tendency toward lateral displacement, and a topping of felted metal filaments interlocking with filaments of the base.

4. A pressing pad, comprising a base of metallic filaments, a substantial number of which extend from one to an opposite edge of the base tending to prevent spreading of the base in the longitudinal direction of the filaments, metallic means crossing said filaments and passing from one face to the other of the base and tending to prevent lateral spreading of the filaments, the thus fabricated base being highly compacted, and a topping of metallic filaments interlocked with'the filaments of the base.

JOHN A. HUNTER. 

